Break the Routine!

February 28, 2011

One of my favorite hobbies is working out. I’m sure it’s something passed down from my mother of which I’m very grateful, but to me there is no better start to the day than breaking a sweat and pumping some iron. But I’ve learned over time, and it’s been proven by experts in the field, that if I do the same routine over and over again, eventually I will stop seeing progress and results. So every couple of weeks I will mix in a different exercise, try more weight and fewer reps, or less weight and more reps, anything to break the routine.

We have all heard that advice before, but it also can be applied to our churches when it comes to generosity.

We know that churches have an advantage in the charitable giving world because we have 52 weeks a year with our member’s full attention. But we have to be sure to make the most of those times, and one way is by breaking the routine.

When churches do the same routine every Sunday, they are engaging the same people in the process. Some in your church are motivated to give after that great sermon, but some others would be more motivated after your worship time. So if you are always having an offering after the sermon, you are not fully engaging a portion of your church. The same principle could be said for your worship time and sermon as well. When our members see the same routine every week, they unconsciously turn their brains off and on depending on whether they feel engaged or not.

So change it up next week. Pastor, what if you did the sermon at the beginning of the service and left your worship time for later? What if you mixed in some drama before your sermon? Or speaking of generosity, what if the offering was changed to another part of the service?

You might find that you engage a segment of your membership that you haven’t before, and that is a win for everyone involved.